Poachers have killed two extremely rare white giraffes in Kenya, conservationists have confirmed.
The female giraffe and her calf were found by rangers "in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers" in Garissa County in the north-east of the country.
There was only one giraffe left alive, a male - the son of the killed female - who is now believed to be the only remaining one in the world.
The deaths have come as a major blow to animal conservationists.
We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe," said Mohammed Ahmednoor, the manager of the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy.
"Its killing is a blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species, and a wakeup call for continued support to conservation efforts."
The giraffes were first seen in March 2016 and photographs of them hit the news in 2017 and spread around the world with people fascinated by the alabaster creatures.
It was revealed the species were white in colour not because of albinism but due to a rare condition called leucism, which causes skin cells to have no pigmentation.
According to the Africa Wildlife Foundation, around 40 per cent of the giraffe population has been eradicated in the past three decades having been hunted for meat.
"This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole," said Mr Ahmednoor.
The giraffes roamed in the conservancy, which is a vast unfenced area which includes small villages.
The Kenya Wildlife Society said it is investigating the killings.
However, the poachers have not yet been caught and currently, their motive in carrying the killings is unclear.
